Monday, 23 August 2010

If you've ever had to cope with good-skin-gone-bad, you'll be wholly attuned to the plight of my l'il sis and the battle she's been waging with her blemishes for the best part of the year. The sort of utterly gorgeous girl who has the power to make men stop in their tracks [honestly - she's even been picked up - twice!! - by two different men & flung over their shoulders because, they just, well, couldn't help themselves, so formidable is her cute-beauty]. And while still utterly beauteous, she began suffering breakouts and had no idea why - hormones? diet? lack of exercise? skincare? - and after switching from Elemis to Dermalogica to Liz Earle to Rodial, and having no joy at all on the clear skin front, I eventually took decisive action and packed her off to the amazing facialist, Sarah Chapman, who hooked her up with one of her top therapists, Tarryn, at her Pelham Street clinic. The 90 minute session revealed so much [along with an entire layer of new, breathing skin, thanks to a deep peel and light therapy] - not least of all, the link between my sis' intense sugar cravings [her handbag as NEVER been Haribo-free] and the spots on her forehead. Tarryn recommended she up the B vitamins, alongside Chromium, and also got her started on a course of spot-regulating skincare from leading pore-perfectors, Environ. The course consisted of Sebugel A, Sebuwash, AVST 1 and Alpha Toner Mild. Well, it's 2 facials in, and 6 weeks of Environ later, and, what can we say? After cutting out all sugar [apart from natural fruit sugar], downing said vits [plus evening primrose oil], her skin is clear as a cloudless summer sky. The result really is remarkable - and just goes to show what a really good facial can achieve: it's about in-depth diagnosis, fuss- and faff-free treatment and seriously purifying pores [Sis' year's of wipe-off cleansing had left the complexion clogged and malfunctioning]. Sis is over the moon - and, to the chagrin of every other single girl out there - back on the social scene. Watch out!! [and if you see a man running for the door with a gorgeous girl flung over his shoulder, be sure to say hi - then call the police!]. Hee hee.

5 comments:

I had the same problem. My skin just started to break out like crazy. I basically went the dermatologis route which worked. However, maybe I should try facials but I am wary of people (other than my dermatologist) touching my face. How do I know if a facialist is good?

As with Nini, I would be interested to know how one can tell that a facialist is good. I mean, I would trust the recommendations on your blog, but I wouldn't know how much to expect to spend for example. It would be useful if you could list prices for products/services which you recommend.

Dear Nini & Bethany - you might want to check the following link to a previous blog, as I spent some time spelling out what I think does & does not make for a great facial: http://missmalcontent.blogspot.com/2008/04/70-in-yer-face.html

In short, it's about people who know how to diagnose rather than relax; facials that tread the line between dermatological consultations, lifestyle questions, in-depth cleansing & analysis, plus those unusual added extras, such as light treatments, microdermabrasion, electromagnetic currents etc, which produce a result that's out of the ordinary. If you live in London, a really top facial with a top practitioner will always top the £100 mark - which is painful, but softening the blow is the knowledge that you'd only need to indulge every few months because results are so effective [and hence less painful than a facial that 1) breaks you out; 2) leaves you red and blotchy; 3) does nothing but send you to sleep & out of the door sweetly-scented.

Ugh, I've had the same problem as your sister. Good skin (mostly) from age 14 to about 27 and then -- BAM -- acne b*tchslapped me across the face out of nowhere. It's awful. I find it's a combo of hormones, stress and having been on the product carousel for work. Have tried prescription stuff and it helps a bit but not entirely. Sulfur products are good for it but, at the end of the day, I think I'm just going to have to wait it out while managing it, so to speak, with products and diet.

The one that's worked best so far is a combo anti-bacterial and vitamin A cream with the brand name Ziana (I don't know if there's a generic version) so it's good for non-teenage skin (read: with fine lines) that has acne.

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I am a London-based beauty editor and have set up this blog with a single aim: to be utterly honest and objective in my appraisal of the myriad products on the beauty market today. My ongoing sleuthing takes me through the best and worst, with many a pitstop in between. If there's nonsense being spouted by a big-named brand or a tiny, unknown name that's making skincare miracles happen, I'll be sure to share it with you. No brand is exempt and because I never accept beauty advertising or sponsorship deals through my blog, this allows me to be 100% objective, 100% of the time.
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